Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Latest Standings
The opening scores have significant impact on the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and returned to the protected qualification spots.
| Pos | Team | Played | Difference | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midtjylland | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 5 | 5 | 12 |
| 3 | Freiburg | 5 | 5 | 11 |
| 4 | Ferencvaros | 5 | 4 | 11 |
| 5 | FC Porto | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| 17 | Celtic | 5 | -1 | 7 |
| 25 | Nottm Forest | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 35 | Rangers | 4 | -7 | 0 |
| 33 | Malmo FF | 4 | -5 | 1 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the three points and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The Birmingham club struggled of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but had just additional time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: The German referee (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a historical link, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in just three years."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the midpoint of the league phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
